Does Your Marketing Funnel Include Digital? (Hint: It Should)

What is the Digital Marketing Funnel?

There’s a well-known concept in marketing that most people understand – the marketing funnel. The marketing, or sales, funnel is a concept that helps you understand the process from creating awareness and interest all the way to generating leads and conversions.

When it comes to digital marketing, there’s a similar funnel. The digital marketing funnel has four levels: High Funnel, Mid-High Funnel, Mid-Low Funnel, and Low Funnel. Each level requires a different advertising message and a different measurement of success.

High Funnel

This stage often represents your potential customers’ first exposure to your brand. The messages you put out for this audience should generate top-of-mind awareness. They’re meant to get people familiar with your brand and what you provide.

Advertising at this stage doesn’t produce an immediately high conversion rate. It’s meant to make impressions and capture the attention of potential buyers. With commitment and time, high-funnel marketing will drive sales to the lower portions of the funnel and closer to a purchase or relationship.

Digital marketing at this stage is typically paid and might consist of display ads and sponsorships on newspaper and local news websites, or a network of sites.

Internet radio also falls into this category. Traditional forms of high-funnel advertising include sponsorships, billboards, and bus and bus bench advertising.

Mid-High Funnel

At this level of the funnel, you’re still creating top-of-mind awareness, but your audience is already aware of your brand and what you do. The message is typically value-based (features, benefits, perspective, etc.) and designed to separate you from your competition.

This form of advertising still doesn’t have a great conversion rate, but because of the type of message it is, it’s more likely to push people down the funnel.

Digital marketing in this stage of the funnel is still primarily paid, such as display advertising on interest-specific websites, or sponsorships that are related more closely to your audience’s interests.

Because social media advertising can be targeted based on demographics and psychographics, it can be an effective channel for reaching people at this level of the funnel. Streaming audio and video also float between the high funnel and mid-high funnel.

Content marketing is the most popular form of digital marketing that falls in the mid-high funnel.

Television and terrestrial radio are complementary channels in traditional advertising.

Mid-Low Funnel

Once you hit this part of the funnel, you’re starting to drive sales. Advertising messages should be incentive-based and include coupons, promotions, and exclusive offers. The goal at this stage is to move people to action.

Digital marketing in the mid-low funnel is a mix of paid and organic. Email marketing, re-marketing, text message marketing, and, in some cases, social media. These channels deliver a targeted, incentive-based message to your audience.

Equivalents in traditional advertising include direct mail, newspaper ads, money-saver ads, and coupon books.

Low Funnel

Low-funnel marketing provides the best immediate return on investment (ROI). Messaging is 100% call-to-action, encouraging your audience to contact you.

Companies spend most of their digital marketing budget in this stage of the funnel. It includes search engine optimization, search engine advertising, and local directory advertising because search engines and directories are where people go when they’re ready to buy.

In traditional advertising, that used to be the phone book or direct mail pieces.

Applying Digital Strategy

After you’ve identified which audiences you want advertising to reach, you apply appropriate digital marketing and traditional media tactics. Digital marketing can be an effective way to move prospects through the buying cycle.

LeadPoint Digital can help you to identify which forms of digital marketing will help you meet marketing goals. We’ll help you create a customized plan with a focus on business objectives and lead generation for different parts of the market funnel and sales cycle.

Contact us to learn more.